To most of us, portable power is a constant worry - remember the last time your phone battery died? But to some, a fully charged battery pack represents much more than just a convenience. It allows a soldier to communicate, navigate and return to base safely. It allows first responders to remain in the field longer to assist victims of natural disasters. It also dramatically improves the quality of life for stroke victims, amputees, and others who rely on power-assisted medical devices to get around.

This realization spurred the formation of Bionic Power Inc. - a high tech startup focused on providing cost-effective and reliable energy to people whose lives or quality of life depend on portable power. At the core of the company is the patented bionic energy harvesting technology that TIME Magazine named one of the best inventions of 2008. This wearable technology uses principles similar to regenerative braking in hybrid cars to unobtrusively generate electricity from the natural motion of walking and then use it to charge a wide range of portable battery-powered devices.

Bionic Power’s first product - the PowerWalk™ M-Series - was developed in collaboration with the Canadian Forces and the US Army. It resembles an athletic knee brace and weighs about 850 grams (1.7 lbs) per leg. With a device on each leg, a user walking at a comfortable speed generates an average of 12 watts of electricity. At this rate, a little over one hour of walking generates enough electricity to charge four mobile phones. The PowerWalk™ M-Series intelligently adjusts the amount of energy that it harvests as a function of walking speed and terrain, harvesting more energy when available and dialing back energy harvesting when it might be obtrusive.